Winter Driving

At least one person was injured Wednesday morning when three Minnesota Department of Transportation snowplows were rear ended. MnDOT officials say the accidents occurred within three hours of each other on roads in the southeastern part of the state. Visibility has been an issue on these roads due to windy conditions and light-weight snow.

The rush-hour snowfall on Tuesday is being blamed for almost 200 crashes on Minnesota roads. The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 186 crashes between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fifteen of those crashes involved injuries, but no one was seriously hurt.

After a deadly weekend, the Minnesota State Patrol is offering reminders for driving on winter roads. “It’s about a week transition from summer months into the cold weather driving,” said Sgt. Ruben Marichalar. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not that nice to us this year.” Six people were killed in car accidents on icy roads this past weekend. Saturday marked the deadliest day on Minnesota roads since July 4.

They’re supposed to be the ones you call when you need help on the roads. But since the beginning of this year, more than a dozen state troopers have become victims. Lt. Eric Roeske with State Patrol said it’s become a bit of a common thing over the past month.

MnDOT officials say they are ready for the freezing rain and two to four inches of snow expected to fall between Friday night and late Saturday in the metro area. They want drivers to be prepared for the conditions by practicing safe winter driving habits.

A lot of us have been there: Driving in a snowstorm, when a giant SUV goes screaming by on the road. Then a couple miles later, it ends up in a ditch. So, during winter driving conditions, which is more likely to end up in the ditch: an SUV or a car? Which is safer?